On August 19, 2026, Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner-of-war exchange. This was the 77th exchange between the two sides. A total of 103 Ukrainian service members who had been held in Russian captivity returned home.
Those released included members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and Ukrainian border guards.
According to the available information, those who returned include service members who defended Ukraine in Mariupol, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Dnipro, and Sumy directions.
At present, no detailed information has been provided about the health condition of the released service members. After returning home, the Ukrainian defenders are expected to undergo the necessary rehabilitation and receive medical, psychological, and other support.
At the same time, the return of prisoners of war remains one of the important humanitarian issues related to the war. It should be recalled that the previous prisoner exchange took place on June 26. At that time, 160 Ukrainian service members who had been held in captivity since 2022 were released from Russian captivity.